I promised SOMEONE I would tell which birding guides I carried along on this vacation trip. So, I decided to post it here.
The one I keep handy in the car is the old traditional Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds, written by Roger Tory Peterson, of course. I think I carry it as much out of reverence and admiration of him as I do for its utility! It is listed in my recommended books in the panel beside the post.
The one I use as a for fun reader or reference in my tent is the Audubon Society Guide which is also in the recommended books list.
Since I am truly on vacation and enjoying the trip and the people and the places, and the birds, I am not going to say much more, just to point you to the books in the list for some real beauties that are also very useful.
This is a guest post because it is a question I often hear. I wanted to read what this birder had to say. The first thing that caught my attention was when he referred to himself as a “bird nerd”.  I think I am one too! Just never had a name!
My note to teens: skipping school for bird migrations is not advised.
By John T Jones, Ph.D.
I’ve been a bird watcher for most of my days. I became a bird nerd while a teenager and would skip school during the major migrations to watch the birds. The truant officers frowned on this and would come out looking for me. They seldom got as far out in the boonies as I did.
My home state of Utah was 85,000 square miles of good birding territory with almost 500 species of birds due to the variation in climate, altitude, and terrain. There was a good population of waterfowl and shorebirds. It was not difficult to see 100 species in a day. Birding on the gun clubs and reserves near Great Salt Lake was a major pastime. At times we would hitchhike the 80 miles north of Salt Lake City to the Bear River Bird Refuge 14 miles west of Brigham City. I’m not sure what its status is now but when I was young it was the largest bird refuge in the world.
In recent years, the Great Salt Lake has risen and it covered the bird reserves for some time. The reserves are coming back but birding is not like it was in our day. Still, I like to drive out to Bear River and think about what it was like and hopefully will be again. The thing about birding is that you can do it in the city or country, on land or sea, at work (sometimes) or on vacation, or even when sick in bed. If you can’t get to the birds you can get them to come to you by designing your yard as a bird habitat.
Bird study is like painting a landscape. There is no clock and there is no hurry. It’s a time of complete relaxation and exclusion of the cares of the world. If you are not an artist, its doing something that requires your total attention and excludes all other activities.
Most birders keep a list of their sightings. Some record in detail what they see, others just check the bird off in the back of their bird guides. Many photograph the birds they see, a hobby in a hobby.
Some years back I video taped the history of the Canada Goose for a total year. From the time they are born until the time of their first migration is just over 80 days. I enjoyed watching the geese that wintered in South New Jersey, the mating rituals in the spring, the raising of the young, and the migration flights. I intend to put these tapes on DVD for future enjoyment.
During the period that I studied the geese, I photographed thousands of snow geese at the George Forsythe Bird Refuge near Atlantic City. During the winter there are tens of thousands of these magnificent birds in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. The millions of people who live in this area, if they will take the time to do it, can easily view them.
To view birds start with a pair of good binoculars. I like 8 X 35, but you can get a more powerful pair if you like. If you do, you may want to have a pair that has adjustable magnification. A spotting scope with an adaptor for mounting it on your car window is good when watching birds in a refuge. You can mount a camera to it. Get a tripod.
I have a pair of binoculars with a camera built in. I haven’t used it yet, but I’m sure I will enjoy it.
You will need a field guide for your area. Carefully read the descriptions. Remember that birds are creatures of habitat and you will find them in the particular habitats described in the guides. Note their migrations. Maps in the guide will tell you which times of the year you will be able to see specific birds. I suggest that you buy at least two guides that cover your area.
Visit a local bird club (like Audubon) to meet people who know birds and who will help you identify birds on field trips. Some of these folks may be a bit quirkier than other people you have met, but they are most always friendly, helpful, and intelligent. There will probably be a professor or two at each meeting. You will be in good company.
I was in St. Louis (in December) and I went birding with my son. It felt warm when I left the house, so I didn’t dress for the weather that suddenly chilled. When you are old, you are cold. While I was sitting in the car waiting for my son, he saw a Piliated Woodpecker. The Piliated is a very large bird, the size of a crow, and always exciting to see. Fortunately, my son photographed the bird and I was able to see it, a male. So don’t do as I did. Dress warmly in the winter.
Recently, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, which is even larger than the Piliated Woodpecker, was rediscovered. Over the years sightings have straggled in, but many thought the bird was extinct in the United States. This great creature is every birders dream to see. See it at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4622633.
That’s why folks watch birds.
John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com), a retired college professor and business executive, Former editor of an international engineering magazine. To learn more about Wealthy Affiliate University go to his info site. If you desire a flagpole to Fly Old Glory, go to the business site.
OCT 05
Why do bird watchers wear hats?
Think about it for a minute. Even city birders wear caps or hats most of the time when they are birdwatching. I started wearing a cap when I found myself tromping through a trackless area and walked right into a WOLF SPIDER nest. That was enough of a lesson for me.
Never walk faster than you can see. And never walk forward when you are looking UP.
Nobody teaches you that in a bird guide. Or in school. Only life experience of dozens of baby spiders scrambling for safety as fast as I was scrambling for safety will teach lessons like that.
The other reason I wear a cap, usually a baseball hat, while birding or hiking is because I grew up in an area where ticks were abundant. I know they could find their way to me but that one little layer seemed to be enough to deter them, I thought. Let them feast on someone else. It seemed to work. Through the years I only actually had a few ticks ON me and I managed to find each of them before they got comfortable and started feeding on me.
I asked another birder, who was a lawyer at his day job, why do YOU wear a baseball cap when you are birding? You don’t wear one at other times.
Well he gave me two reasons. One was simple. It was fun. Like putting on “the happy play day face”, you put on your suit to go to work and your fun hat to go birding. The other was pure logic. Well, he said. Birds fly. And usually when they leave the branches to get airborne they relieve themselves and lighten the load- so to speak. He did not want bird splat on his head. He would rather have it on his hat.
I can’t say that I blame him. When we went birdwatching at a Great Blue Heron rookery (a colony where they nest) we all agreed that hats were essential gear for exploring near these big birds. One fellow had a Tee shirt with a field guide to identify bird tracks and suggested we create on that would identify bird “splats”. Believe it or not, someone did as you can see below.
Yes, birds can fly. And sure they can fly away from storms. IF they know far enough in advance, like early warning systems. Even though they do not have sirens and weather channels like we do, they can sense changes in barometric pressure and temperature and other real weather conditions.
But the truth is, many birds get blown off course during storms. And Tropical OR Non-tropical Storm Kyle is no exception.
Many birds typically seen in Florida have been reported in New York and New England.
That is both exciting and tragic, because many of them will never make it all the way back to their home range. Especially if these odd storms continue. Nonetheless, it is exciting for birders who may get to see new “Life List” birds right near their own backyards.
I am always on the lookout for odd birds. By that I mean errant. Those which have for one reason or other been “relocated” to a different habitat.
Like the time I saw an all white varied thrush where they were not supposed to be. In addition, they are NOT white. And this one was not albino.
With the help of a Northern Shrike, I captured the varied thrush, which was now dead. I kept it in my freeze until it could be examined by research ornithologists at UC Davis. And it was extraordinary. And Odd. But it happened. Life is often more astounding than the tales we could make up about it. Even with my bird guide and the bird in my hands, I found it hard to believe it really what a white varied thrush.
It was though. What more can I say? Wow. A rookie birdwatcher told me today that someone saw flamingoes in the area of New York City.
I am ready to believe Kyle is responsible.
Tags: bird guide, Birds in Storms, flamingo, Kyle, northern shrike, white varied thrush
Do you hear what I hear? Birds - birds - calling in the trees - its a mystery to me- an auditory adventure.
Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region is an audio CD that is well worth your time.
Beginning Birders may find it challenging to identify bird songs. There are so many sounds out there. And each bird makes more than one song or call. The sounds are so realistic they are sure to capture the attention of your household cat. My cat looks for the birds making the sounds. I was really surprised when a predator call, like an owl, came on that the cat actually showed anxiety and searched for a hiding place. Well, once I learned this, I realized it was not fair to terrorize the cat even incidentally. So I used my headset when I wanted to study bird songs and calls.
Once you have a basic awareness of most birds in your area, it is easier to sift through the sounds and narrow the field of choices swiftly. That is when the specific bird songs on the CD are most helpful in identifying the nearby birds. It begins to be fun when you can stroll through the woods and recognize familiar birds by their call, even when you cannot see them.
These brave creatures are beautiful in so many ways, and here on this blog is where I share my love for these creatures.
Birds are often seen as delicate creatures, but there’s one thing that I read once that will always stick with me if I ever feel sorry for myself.
I read a quote not long ago and I will find it for you and post it here. (yes, that is a promise)
The basic message was,
If a bird is freezing its tail off, you will never hear a peep out of it. And you won’t hear a sound from it until it drops dead frozen stiff.
It sounds gruesome, I know. But birds are not complainers or quitters.
Yes, these are beautiful creatures, and they can be brave and ferocious, too.
This is my blog and I welcome you to my place in space. This is a good place to be. There will be some super resources here for you as I continue to build this blog. Your comments will help me meet your interests and needs, too.
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